Airlines, Miles and Points

Airlines, miles, and points is the most popular topic at Australian Frequent Flyer. In this category, we provide expert tips, insider tricks, and facilitate discussions about Qantas, Virgin Australia, non-Australian airlines, and global airline alliances. From earning and redeeming frequent flyer points to maximising elite status benefits, we aim to help you get the most out of your travel. We also cover every step of the journey – from planning and booking flights to experiencing the flight itself, and finally, arriving at your destination. Whether you're a seasoned traveller or just starting to explore the world of frequent flyer programs, you'll find valuable advice to elevate your travel experience. See below for articles on airlines, miles and points.

Qantas announces bumper profit, 787 orders

Brand new Boeing 787 aircraft will be added to the flying kangaroo’s international fleet from 2017. This is just one piece of good news to come from the Qantas full-year financial results, announced last week. Following consecutive losses and a lengthy restructuring program, Qantas also announced a large profit. It seems that our national airline … Continued

24 Aug 2015 Qantas

Qantas Compensation Lottery

This week our members discuss the compensation received from Qantas after their flight was ruined by defective on-board equipment. Issues warranting compensation on recent flights range from faulty in-flight entertainment systems to broken seats; and the compensation received varied from a few thousand points to many hundreds of dollars. Although most passengers would prefer that … Continued

20 Aug 2015 Qantas

Conquering a fear of flying

For many, flying is a joy and a privilege. But for nervous flyers, the experience could be completely different. Just the thought of stepping foot in a plane can make some travellers very nervous. One AFF member seeks advice on how to overcome their fear of flying ahead of a trip to the United States. … Continued

18 Aug 2015 The Journey
Defunct Tigerair Loses its Roar

Tigerair takes over Virgin’s Bali flights

Virgin Australia will cease operating most of their flights to South-East Asia from next March. Virgin will withdraw entirely from the Perth-Phuket route, while three of the airline’s flights to Bali will be handed over to low-cost subsidiary Tigerair. Virgin will provide Tigerair with three Boeing 737 narrow-body aircraft to operate the flights between Bali … Continued

17 Aug 2015 Virgin Australia

Our Frequent Flyer Millionaire!

A new member has managed to accumulate more than half a million frequent flyer points in just four months since joining AFF! It’s a staggering achievement, but perhaps even more surprising is how easy it was for our member to achieve their impressive new points balance. Our member has not been accumulating miles by flying … Continued

Virgin Australia's "the business" cabin on the Airbus A330-200

Virgin rolls out new Business Class seats

Virgin Australia has begun fitting its A330 aircraft with brand new, luxurious business class seats, with the airline’s Boeing 777s next in line for an upgrade. Pictures of the new seat design were released several months ago. Our members are very impressed by the elegant yet practical design. The seats convert into 80 inch lie-flat … Continued

10 Aug 2015 Virgin Australia

Best use of Velocity Points to Europe

There are many different ways to use Virgin Velocity points to fly to Europe. Unfortunately Virgin Australia do not fly to anywhere in Europe using their own aircraft, but several partner airlines fill this gap. One of the most common methods would be to fly on Etihad Airways via Abu Dhabi. As Etihad is a … Continued

Emirates culling First Class from some aircraft

Emirates have recently announced that they will be removing first class from a number of their flagship A380 aircraft. From early next year, the Dubai-based airline will serve markets with weaker demand for first class with two-class A380 jumbo jets, offering only business class and economy. The removal of first class and a small reduction … Continued

3 Aug 2015 Emirates

Emirates losing its Midas Touch

Emirates is widely regarded as one of the world’s best airlines, but one member believes the standard of on-board service has plummeted recently. Inedible meals in business class, a broken seat in first class and disinterested customer service are just the beginning of this member’s long list of unfortunate experiences with Emirates Airlines. On one … Continued

30 Jul 2015 Emirates

Flying Delta in the USA as a Velocity member

Our member FIFOSuit recently headed to the United States for a whirlwind of a trip. Six US and Canadian cities including Las Vegas, New York and Toronto were visited in just twelve days. As a Velocity frequent flyer, our member decided to fly with Virgin Australia to LA. Delta, Virgin’s partner airline, was used for … Continued

29 Jul 2015 Virgin Australia

Qantas adds new flights to Queensland

Qantas announced last week that it will add two additional domestic routes to destinations in Queensland. From October, the airline will begin long-awaited direct flights between Melbourne and the Gold Coast. Flights from Sydney to the Sunshine Coast will also be added just in time for Christmas. This comes as further good news for Queenslanders … Continued

27 Jul 2015 Qantas

Extracting Maximum Value from Virgin Velocity Points

This week one member is in an enviable position. They have over 100,000 Velocity frequent flyer points stashed away and request advice about the best value way to use these points. Velocity Frequent Flyer points can be used for a variety of different redemptions including reward flights, upgrades, holidays, gift vouchers, products at the Velocity … Continued

25 Jul 2015 Virgin Australia